FINN AZAZ has been backed to “go to the very top” – but the Middlesbrough forward’s former team-mates are determined to make life difficult for him this weekend.

Azaz spent the first half of the season on loan at Plymouth Argyle, scoring seven goals and claiming five assists for the Pilgrims, and would almost certainly have remained at Home Park for the remainder of the campaign had his parent club, Aston Villa, not triggered a recall clause in his deal in order to sell him to Boro in the January window.

The 23-year-old has hit the ground running on Teesside, scoring in each of his last two games, and will come up against his former colleagues for the first time tomorrow when Plymouth visit the Riverside.

Brendan Galloway will be one of the defenders charged with keeping his quiet, and while the former Sunderland loanee is only too aware of Azaz’s qualities, he is looking forward to the challenge of trying to shackle him tomorrow.

“I’m looking forward to seeing him,” said Galloway. “He’s a very good player and an amazing person. We’ve just got to there and try to be as aggressive as we can.

“He’s a very caring person, very mature for his young age as well. That’s the most impressive thing about him, how he is as a person. He’s a top professional, and I think he can really go to the top, and I’ve told him that as well.

“We know what he’s about, and the main job is to shut him down. He’s a good friend, but just be focused on our team first and go in there and get three points.”

READ MORE:

Plymouth go into this weekend’s game off the back of a disappointing midweek display that saw them lose 3-0 at home to West Brom, and Galloway accepts a marked improvement will be needed if his side are to leave Teesside with a positive result.

“I think that with the games coming thick and fast you have just got to switch your attention to the next game as soon as possible, put your focus back on it, do the tactical analysis with the staff and get back on the pitch and work as hard as possible to be ready,” he said, in an interview with Plymouth Live.

“That’s all we can do, and make things right, because we do want to win, and we do want to give 100 per cent every game. I know with these games coming thick and fast, it has been hard to at times, but inside of us we always want to give 100 per cent and we always want to win, and battle and challenge.

“It doesn't matter if it's against teams that are top of the league, bottom, pushing for play-offs. The mindset is always that we are here to compete, we are in the same league for a reason, and we want to go to them and get three points.”